One Day You'll Know
by FadeIntoTheBackground
Summary: Little NCIS oneshot. Mainly shipless, but mild hints of Jibbs. Tony wants the team to do something fun and different for Christmas, and meanwhile tries to teach Ziva an importsnt lesson. MERRY CHRISTMAS HAYLEY!


**Ok, so this is Hay's Christmas present, only thing I could give you I'm afraid! Its kind of random, and probably a little OOC, but who cares, its Christmas! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS**

**MERRY CHRITSMAS HAYLEY! (OutCold)**

'Hey, Ziva, you want to go on a boat trip?'

Ziva's eyes travelled slowly up, above her computer screen and across the bullpen to meet her colleague's. 'I beg your pardon?'

'A boat trip. You, boss, Jenny, Ducky, Abby, McGoo-' Tony jerked his head across to their neighbour, McGee, who seemed deeply immersed in the process of falling asleep in his pile of paperwork, 'and me.' He smiled, seemingly pleased with his idea.

Ziva rolled her eyes. 'Grow up Tony.'

'I'm serious. For Christmas. Maybe Christmas eve? We rent a cruiser to take us up part of the Columbia River, thats nearby, look at all the Christmas lights and all that, exchange presents, have drinks....'

'Don't be so ridiculous, take your immature fantasies off somewhere where they won't bother me.'

'Fine, if you don't want to do it for Christmas, we could say it was for you becoming an agent.'

'I said leave me alone.'

'Don't you like Christmas?'

'I wouldn't if it was spent doing something I didn't want to do, freezing to death on a boat and watching you drink too much whisky.'

'Lets see what Probie thinks.' Tony stood up to rip the red tinsel off the front of McGee's desk, before using one end to tickle his face, which was half buried in his arms on the desk. As soon as the tinsel touched him, McGee leapt awake, his head flying off his arms. 'What the-?'

Tony sniggered, and Ziva rolled her eyes.

'Want to go on a boat trip McGoo?'

'What?'

'You heard me. We, as in the team, go on a boat trip on Christmas eve to celebrate the festive season.' Tony swung the end of the tinsel round in the air.

'Why?' McGee looked suspicious.

'For fun. Ever heard that word McThrilling?'

McGee sighed and stretched. 'I don't know if you're drunk or what, but I still don't know what you're on about, so leave me alone Tony.'

Ziva looked up from her desk. 'I rest my case.'

Abby came wandering through the bullpen, CafPow in hand, stopping to perch on Ziva's desk.

'What are you doing up here?' Ziva asked her.

'I'm on a break from the lab,' she snapped at her. 'There's no case and I'm bored. Is that a crime? It's almost time to go anyway.'

'Abby, do you want to go on a boat trip?' Tony cut in.

Ziva groaned. 'Tony, shut it.'

'Boat Trip? Why? When? With who?'

'Trust you to be interested,' Ziva complained under her breath.

Tony explained his idea, and a spark lit in Abby's eyes. 'Oh it would be perfect!' She set down her CafPow. 'I haven't seen Jenny and Sam for ages! They can come!'

'And you're willing to submit Jenny and Gibbs' new born child to a freezing cold evening on a river?' Ziva raised one eyebrow.

'Thats why they invented coats,' Tony informed her. 'The boy's nearly two months old, he can handle a little excitement, and Jenny's never managed to come off maternity leave, so why shouldn't she have an evening with the team?'

'Fine,' Ziva checked the clock on the wall, before grabbing a jacket from the back of a chair. 'I'm done for the day.'

'We'll sort it out now,' she heard Tony say as she headed out.

'Good luck persuading Gibbs,' she called over her shoulder. 'And me!' she added as an afterthought.

* * *

Only a week after the trip had been suggested, Ziva had come into work to find an invitation on her desk, telling her that a small cruiser had been rented to take the up the Columbia River with the team, and that it was formal attire. A joyful Tony had told her that Gibbs had given in. Now it was Christmas Eve morning, the team no longer needed to go to work. That evening the team would be sailing around pointlessly on a boat. The whole team. Except her. She had declined the invitation, expecting Tony to put up a fight. Instead he had just smiled and winked at McGee.

By six o'clock that evening, Ziva had forgotten about Tony. Whatever he was planning, it had nothing to do with her. She settled down in front of the TV, but was soon interrupted by a knock on her apartment door. Curiously, she opened it.

'Merry Christmas eve!'

She groaned. 'Go away Tony!'

'Aren't you going to invite me in?'

'Don't be ridiculous.'

'I'm hurt.'

'How do you know where I live?'

'Oh with a little help from Abby. Can I come in now?'

She heaved a sigh. 'Fine.'

She stepped back, and he came in.

'Nice place.'

'Thank you.'

'But I can see you're not crazy about Christmas.' He gestured at the small fake tree in the far corner, the limp tinsel hanging over the electric fireplace. 'Maybe you need to make more of an effort.'

'Thanks, Tony.' She rolled her eyes. Why had she let him in her house?

'But no time to stand here, you need to get a move on, or we'll miss the boat!'

Ziva was horrified. 'Is that what you were planning then? When I say no to an invitation it means that I'm not coming! I'm busy.'

'Oh yes, the TV is vital on Christmas eve.' He gestured at the crappy sitcom that was on mute in front of the sofa. 'You may not want to come, but you can't let the team down Ziva, not on Christmas! You're an agent now, dedication is key!'

'I'm very dedicated thank you very much!'

'Life as an agent isn't all about sitting in the bullpen, or investigating murders. We can have fun too.' He was pleading now. Ziva considered. It would be nice to see Jenny again, and maybe have a laugh with the team. After all, she had nothing else to do, there was no one else she wanted to spend Christmas with.

'Fine.' She folded her arms, a resigned expression forming on her face.

An hour and a half later, Ziva was already beginning to regret her decision. They hadn't been on the boat for very long, but enough was enough. Tony was tipping back the drink, and Abby, who got far too over-excited at such things, was dancing around in high heels and a tight black skirt, tinsel entwined into her hair, brandishing a tray of mince pies in people's faces.

'Nice outfit.' McGee edged up to Ziva, mince pie in hand, gesturing at the black open-necked shirt she wore with a little back skirt and brown boots. Tony had insisted she wear something smart.

'You too,' she replied. Most of the men were in smart trousers and suit jackets with a simple shirt. There were about forty people overall on the boat, including good old Ducky. However the vast majority of the people were from NCIS, background agents that Ziva had nothing to do with.

Ziva had to admit to herself, it was beautiful sailing down the river, the dark streets lit up with huge trees and bedecked with lights. Gibbs was standing at the rail, his arm around Jenny. Ziva headed over to greet them.

'Ziva!' Jenny's eyes lit up as she smiled. 'I haven't seen you for ages!'

'I know, how's Sam?'

Jenny held out the little bundle in her arms. 'See for yourself. Do you want to hold him?'

Thinking that it would be rude to refuse, Ziva nodded and carefully took the baby, too scared to relax her arms in case she would drop him. 'Babies aren't in my line of expertise.' She told the smiling Jenny and Gibbs. Sam was wrapped in many different layers against the cold, and he turned in her arms, making her tenser than before as she adjusted her position. He looked up at her with large green eyes, framed with thick lashes. 'He's...sweet.' She carefully handed him back to Jenny.

She chatted to the happy couple for a little while, before being dragged away to dance on the deck by Abby. After another hour, she discovered that she had begun to enjoy herself, laughing at Tony's jokes, which got more ridiculous and made less sense with each whisky he had.

No one realised how late it was getting, but that didn't seem to matter. It was clear that everyone was enjoying themselves. There was a lot of food on board, set out beautifully, and Abby was acting as hostess. It was a lovely boat, a small white cruiser with a huge deck and rails at the sides. It got later and later, and colder and colder, and soon Sam began to cry, so Jenny took him into the warm cabin where he soon fell asleep.

A huge clock chimed somewhere in the town, and people began to cheer. It was striking midnight. Midnight on Christmas eve, meaning that it was becoming Christmas day! Everyone began to count down the chimes, and when the twelfth struck, people began to cheer and pop open more bottles of whisky and champagne, as if it were new year. A bleary-eyed Tony began to lead everyone in a wild, out of tune chorus of Once in Royal David's City, but no one got far through the song. Ziva laughed at the excitement of people on the deck, watching a contented Gibbs kiss Jenny.

About twenty minutes later, Tony came over to Ziva, surprisingly walking in a reasonably straight line, and threw an arm around her.

'You don't seem as drunk as before,' Ziva remarked bluntly.

'Ah, I've sobered up a bit to come and talk to you.'

'How kind,' Ziva turned again to watch the mad party scene on the deck.

'You know Ziva', Tony continued, 'you've had some tough times in the past, we can all tell that. But thats ok you know, you have friends here, you can always count on us.'

Ziva knew he was drunk, and therefore acting differently, but his words still meant a lot to her.

'Thanks,' she smiled up at him.

'Its ok.' he gave her a friendly squeeze with his arm. 'Count on us Ziva, one day you'll know where the good times are.'

Ziva looked around the deck, at all her friends from the team laughing, drinking, dancing, having fun. She has never expected anything like this from joining NCIS. They were all she had wanted and more. Gibbs, Jenny, Ducky, McGee, Abby and Tony.

She looked up at Tony, and smiled once again. 'I know where they are,' she told him. 'They're already here.' She gave him a quick hug, wrinkling her nose against the strong smell of drink, and then headed off to join in the Christmas celebrations with her friends.

**Hope you liked it. Kind of random I know.**

**Love you Hay xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


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